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J Crew's Bid To Save The Bee's

7 May 2014

If you haven't already heard the exciting news of J Crews latest UK venture, then I strongly suggest you read on.... As I type J Crew are embarking on a store opening to top all store openings, in the old location of Link of London in Sloane Square. They have acquired this 4,500 square-foot unit and have erected the most awesome vertical 'living' garden on the exterior of the building, designed to attract and promote pollination. Jenna Lyons, J Crew's president and executive creative director was inspired to partner up with Buglife, after seeing a documentary about our dying Bee population. This subject is incredibly close to my heart as well, my mother and I are known as the worker bees in our family, so anything with a bee on it I tend to get very excited!!!

According to the charity Buglife, the South
West Bees Report researched 23 species considered to be at risk in the
UK, twenty are declining whilst three have become extinct. Andrew Whitehouse,
South West Manager at Buglife said “The South West remains a stronghold for
some of the UK’s most threatened bee species. But, over the past 50 years
we have seen the local extinction of many of the region’s special bees. Some
are precariously holding on, such as the Six-banded nomad bee (Nomada
sexfasciata) which has all but disappeared from the UK, except for a last
remaining site in South Devon”.

Wild bees and other
insect pollinators are faced with a perfect storm of pressures which have all
led to their decline, these include: a loss of wildflower-rich natural and
semi-natural habitats through the intensification of farming, increased use of
pesticides, the loss of bee habitats to development, unpredictable and extreme
weather resulting from climate change. As a result half of the UK’s 27
bumblebee species are in decline, two-thirds of our moths and over 70% of our
butterflies are in long-term decline.

I have to admit up until now I haven't always been the biggest fan of the once catalogue brand, J Crew's. For the reason that their price inflation from the US to the UK is laughable (e.g. $58 necklace in the US, £58 necklace in the UK!!) and their designs are hardly unique or cutting edge to support these prices, but asides from that their brand identity and ethos is incredible! I now admire them a little bit for their latest support for Save The Bees, as this is a charity which can easily be forgotten amongst all the others. Imagine a world without honey, where you could never taste anything sweeter than a piece of fruit (I'm excluding chocolate as thats just naughty food!) that's what it would be like if we carry on ignoring the fact that our bee population is rapidly decreasing!

To mark the companies support and celebration of the store the store will stock the 'best of bees' men's and women's wear, including cashmere and Ludlow, handbags, accessories and collaborations.